


weakness

by isadorator



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Action, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Creepy Fluff, F/M, Gen, Minor Injuries, Unresolved Emotional Tension, aka the au where hawk moth becomes the chessmaster he was always meant to be, more than usual anyway;;;;
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-05
Updated: 2017-11-05
Packaged: 2019-01-29 15:39:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,744
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12634092
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/isadorator/pseuds/isadorator
Summary: When Ladybug steps inside the rotting walls of the Rothschild Mansion to search for her missing love, a familiar foe takes it upon themselves to thoroughly exploit her weaknesses.





	weakness

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Ferisae](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ferisae/gifts).



> What's up everyone, this is me coming at you from an extended province-wide strike that has both blessed and cursed me with endless free time, allowing me to polish the year-old draft of this fic. I wrote most of this during Ladrien June 2016 (YES I'M STILL DOING THOSE PROMPTS F I G H T ME) for Day 25: Weakness, and... I think I'll let the fic speak for itself ;)
> 
> CREDITS: [Cover art was commissioned by me](http://caprette.tumblr.com/post/147754242448) from [Caprette,](http://caprette.tumblr.com) [the original continuation request](http://ladrienintensifies.tumblr.com/post/145671134296/day-9-its-a-trap) came from [Ferisae](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ferisae/pseuds/Ferisae), initial beta was done by [Mirth](https://archiveofourown.org/users/calloffyourethics), and final beta was done by [Crispy](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zaphirite) ♥ Special shout out to all my chums on discord who put up with my pestering and flailing re: this fic YOU'RE ALL THE BEST ♥♥♥

Ladybug leapt from rooftop to grass, kicking up chunks of sod and dirt as she sprinted into the sprawling park. So focused on following Chat Noir, she completely missed the cold sweat dripping down her face.

Nearly an hour passed since Gabriel Agreste went on live television to demand the safe return of his son. In that time, Ladybug ran solely on a combination of desperate worry and _anger_ —one that had her searching every stray nook and cranny in the city until Chat Noir arrived to help.

“We’re almost there,” he called out, slowing his pace to match hers. “It should be just up ahead.”

Ladybug jumped over a dog, startling the girl playing fetch with it. “What do they even want with Adrien?!”

“He rejected someone? Or pissed them off?” Chat suggested. Ladybug grit her teeth, her worry spiking again as their destination loomed in front of them.

Nestled behind a cluster of trees and shrubs was a mansion three times the size of the Agrestes’, its rotting exterior standing in stark contrast to the manicured lawn of the park. Peeling paint exposed solid brick, and graffiti decorated any surface a spray can could reasonably and _un_reasonably reach. As they passed the mansion’s property line, the weeds outnumbered the grass, and bits of loose tile and stone littered the ground.

The thought of Adrien being in this oversized death trap, cold and alone save for the akuma who _took_ him here—

“This is it? Are you sure?” she asked, forcing herself to concentrate.

“_Paw_sitive,” Chat replied. “I definitely saw the akuma slip in here with the Agreste kid.”

“Then we haven’t got time to waste,” said Ladybug. “We’ll split up to cover more ground.”

Chat gestured to the front door with an exaggerated flourish. “Ladies first.”

Swallowing back her anxiety, Ladybug walked up the stairs to the front door.

It was boarded up like most of the doors and windows. But, looking closely, she could see someone had pried away a large slab of decaying wood and rested it on the doorframe to make it look like it was still sealed. Ladybug shoved it to the side and stepped into the mansion.

Inside, the neglect and disrepair was even worse, like a creaking skeleton of past grandeur. Empty cords hung from high, dark ceilings. Large graffiti murals covered the walls, neon colours and stark blacks vivid against the bleached wood and bare stone. The ground was a safety hazard, the floor boards ripped up and tossed in every direction while broken concrete, cement blocks, and bricks littered the spaces in between. The only light came from the sun spilling in through the crack behind her, the long entrance hallway stretching into darkness on her left and right.

Chat joined her, letting out a long whistle. “This place is a mess, huh?”

“No kidding,” muttered Ladybug. Squaring her shoulders, she pushed through the second set of doors in front of her. “Let’s find Adrien quickly, and get out of here.”

Behind the doors was what might have been the entrance room, with a grand staircase winding up to the second floor and more doorways leading to the rest of the mansion. Sunlight streamed in from the windows situated above the staircase, brightening floating dust motes.

Ladybug wrinkled her nose, the destructive chaos of the mansion somehow worse under full light.

“You take the left wing, and I’ll take the right?” Chat Noir suggested.

She nodded. “Give me a call if you find him.”

“Of course,” Chat said, grinning, and took off to the right and up the staircase.

Following his example, Ladybug headed to the left through a pair of doors barely on its hinges.

She tried to stay silent as she searched, hoping not to alert the akuma before they could find Adrien, but her footsteps echoed oddly in the desolate mansion. Mould grew in the corners and under damp baseboards, forcing Ladybug to be cautious about breathing too deeply.

This place—so wildly different from the sunny, busy bakery she called home—left her profoundly uncomfortable.

The feeling grew worse as she ventured deeper, evolving into a simmering dread.

Eight rooms examined, each just as ruined as any other in the mansion, with no sign of Adrien or the akuma in them.

Fear lodged firmly in her throat, Ladybug opened the doors to the ninth.

The room was a large one, wooden pillars extending upwards to hold the weight of the remarkably intact ceiling. In the centre, a concave semicircle of blue stone framed where a chandelier might have once been, and panels attached above the crown moulding depicted faded family crests. Cold fireplaces and broken bookshelves along the wall hinted that this may have been a library in its prime. Tellingly, freshly broken boards lay under the upper floor windows, letting natural light fill the room.

All those little details fell to the wayside the moment Ladybug caught sight of—“Adrien!”

His head snapped up at her shout, eyes wide with shock before drooping in relief.

Adrien sat on the dusty floor, gagged and chained to a wooden column near the entrance. His usually immaculate looks were in disarray, his hair ruffled out of place and his clothes wrinkled and smudged with dirt. There was no blood or bruises staining his skin, no limbs pushed out of place.

He was shaken, but uninjured.

( _thank **god**_.)

Ladybug willed her trembling hand to steady as she reached for her yoyo, sliding the cover open and dialing even as she jogged forward.

“Chat, I found Adrien!” she said as soon as he picked up. “I need you to watch my back while I free him, the akuma shouldn’t be far off!”

“I always do, Ladybug,” he replied with a cheeky wink. “See you soon~”

As she rolled her eyes at Chat being _Chat_ and closed her yoyo, Ladybug could feel tension uncoiling in her gut. They still had to rescue Adrien and beat the akuma, but things were finally looking up.

Adrien was already standing when she reached him, his chains loose enough to let him move along the length of the pillar, but not away from it. This close, she could see his reddened wrists under the manacles and hear his voice, his words muffled by the gag. He strained against the chains, only stilling when Ladybug grasped his shoulders.

“Are you hurt, Adrien?” she asked, trying to keep her voice gentle.

Adrien shook his head. Ladybug let out a shuddering breath and squeezed his shoulders.

“Good. That’s good!” Gathering herself, Ladybug gave him her most reassuring smile. “Chat Noir and I will get you of here soon, and I promise we’ll keep you safe until then, okay?”

He didn’t move as Ladybug let go to test his chains. A quick tug with her fists let her know they were too tough for her enhanced strength to break. There was a keyhole in each manacle, but it’d probably be faster to have Chat use Cataclysm on it than to find the key. Or maybe she could—

Adrien rattled his chains violently, shouting suddenly into his gag. It startled Ladybug before she realized her mistake.

“S-Sorry,” said Ladybug, reaching for his gag. She ripped apart the strip of linen tied against his mouth, frowning at how ashen he looked. “I should have—”

“BEHIND YOU!” yelled Adrien.

Ladybug kicked out as she turned, hand flying to her yoyo to spin her weapon into a shield—

Pain blossomed from her right earlobe. It radiated through her head just as her foot landed on something solid and black, forcing it _away_ from her and Adrien. Ladybug hissed, clapping a hand over her ear, and twirled her yoyo until there was a magic shield between her and—

“Chat?!” she yelped.

Her partner smirked, one hand rolling something between his fingers as he tucked his hair behind his human ear with the other.

“It’s not him!” said Adrien, raising his voice over the noise of clattering metal links as he struggled to free himself.

Then— _impossibly_ —a beep rang out.

Jolting, Ladybug’s arms dropped in shock, her shield petering out. She hadn’t used Lucky Charm, so why was—was that—was that _blood_ on the heel of her palm?

Chat Noir laughed as his hands moved to his exposed ear. The sound was high, mocking, and nothing at all like her kitty’s usual snickers.

“You really _are_ lucky,” he said. “Any other Miraculous, and it would have been game over.”

His fingers fell away, turning Ladybug’s veins into rivers of ice.

On Chat Noir’s right ear was a black stud earring.

 _Her_ earring.

“But it looks like we get to play for a little longer,” he said, smirk widening to show a hint of teeth. “Tell me, Ladybug, what is it about blond, green-eyed boys that makes you so _weak_?”

“Ladybug, don’t listen to him!” Adrien pleaded, his voice piercing through the panic threatening to strangle her. “Run, I—I’ll be fine, I’m only bait! Just save yourself!”

Run? And leave Adrien in the hands of this…malicious shadow of Chat Noir?

Ladybug’s armour creaked as she clenched her fists.

 _Never_.

“I won’t abandon you, Adrien,” said Ladybug, resolving hardening as she spoke. Her glare burrowed into Chat Noir. “And I’ll be taking my Miraculous back now.”

Whoever wore Chat Noir’s face took his baton out from behind him, twirling it in his hands as his smirk turned into a manic grin.

“You’re welcome to try, _has-been_.”

Another beep sounded.

Three minutes left before Ladybug detransformed.

Her yoyo snapped out. Chat Noir extended his baton, batting her weapon away like a baseball. Keeping it raised, he rushed her with a war cry. Ladybug quickly rewound her yoyo, the disk landing in her hand in time to parry Chat Noir’s strike.

Sparks flew as the two magical weapons scraped against each other, and Chat Noir’s acid green eyes flashed with annoyance. He released one hand, throwing a punch at her face.

Ladybug clenched her jaw as she ducked her head to the left. The punch landed on the column behind her, splitting it cleanly in two, but she ignored it. Instead, she used her free hand to make a grab for her stolen Miraculous.

Chat Noir was ready. He disengaged, falling backwards into a handstand. His boots pushed off her chest to give him the momentum needed to flip back onto his feet. Ladybug fell against the column with a grunt, her weight shifting the two halves further apart.

“Ladybug!” Adrien cried out. She could feel him kneeling behind her legs.

“Stay _down!_ ” said Ladybug.

She straightened up, flinging her yoyo out before Chat Noir fully recovered. It wrapped around his ankles, and Ladybug _heaved_ , spinning on her heels to toss him to the side.

He flew into a wall, losing hold of his baton on the way. The bricks cracked underneath his back, dust floating up as Chat Noir groaned and fell face-down on the ground.

Ladybug recovered her yoyo and ran for the dropped baton, sliding across the floor to grab it before Chat Noir could.

Except it wasn’t Chat’s weapon anymore. Instead of a silver baton, it was an orange and white striped flute.

Realization dawned on her.

Ladybug snapped the flute over her knee, a wave of fury and terror washing over her, drowning the last shred of mercy she possessed.

“ _Lila_ ,” she hissed. “Where. Is. _Chat Noir?!_ ”

“It’s _Volpina_ , you _wretch!_ ” Lila—no, Volpina—snapped as she raised herself into a crouch. The harsh scowl twisting Chat Noir’s face was alien and _wrong_. “You’re too slow if you haven’t learned it by now!”

Ladybug threw away the halves of Volpina’s weapon, heart thrumming in her chest as she remembered the feeling of Chat disappearing in her arms from Timebreaker's attack. She stepped forward, and Volpina bounced to her feet, belt tail standing straight up behind her.

All Ladybug could see was _red_. “Where is he? _What did you do to him?_ ”

“ _That_ second-string hero?” Volpina scoffed. “ _I_ didn’t do anything. Hawk Moth ha— _aaaaaAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!_ ”

Volpina fell to one knee, Hawk Moth’s butterfly mask now bright in front of her eyes while she spasmed and clutched her chest, and Ladybug could only watch in horror.

(It was bad enough knowing that Hawk Moth tortured his less malleable victims, but _seeing_ the facsimile of Chat’s face in so much _pain_ —)

“I’M SORRY,” Volpina gasped. “I’ll get it, I’m sorry, _I’m sorry_ —”

The symbol disappeared. Volpina slumped, shuddering with aftershocks.

Ladybug’s earring beeped another warning, growing alarmingly warmer with each passing moment.

But there wasn’t time to worry. If she didn’t get her earring back in less than two minutes, she wouldn’t be able to save Adrien or find Chat, let alone protect herself or her city.

Or Lila, Ladybug realized, the insight helping her get a firmer grip on her emotions. She needed to focus on the threats: cleansing Volpina’s akuma and stopping Hawk Moth’s plans.

Volpina drew herself up, swaying on her feet and glaring. She curled Chat’s claws and charged again.

Prepared, Ladybug jumped, dodging by somersaulting into the air. Volpina overextended, and Ladybug took advantage, landing her feet on her opponent’s head.

Her legs brushed something invisible and solid above Volpina’s cat ears. It confirmed Ladybug’s suspicions.

Volpina’s greatest strength and weakness were her illusions. Whatever this ability to mimic someone was, it had to be a new ability, one that didn’t need a magic flute to function.

The deduction occurred in the time it took to kick off Volpina’s head, flip in the air, and land behind her. Ladybug whirled around to face Volpina, her thoughts still racing for a plan.

Neither of them saw Adrien coming.

He attacked Volpina from behind, wrapping his chains around her waist and trapping her arms at her sides.

“What?!” cried Volpina.

She lifted her leg, moving to stomp on Adrien’s foot, when a flicker of purple flashed across her face again. Volpina snarled, and she tried to twist away from Adrien instead.

“Ladybug—!” yelled Adrien, clearly struggling, but Ladybug was already moving towards them.

Growling, Volpina hunched like a cornered fox and pressed her ear against her shoulder, keeping the Miraculous out of reach.

Ladybug ignored it. With a swipe of her hand across Volpina’s chest, Ladybug’s fingers snagged on a thin, invisible chain. She gave it a hard tug, ripping away the fox necklace hidden underneath the illusion of Chat Noir’s armour.

“No!” Volpina screamed.

Snapping the pendant in her hands, Ladybug dropped it to grab her yoyo, catching and cleansing the freed akuma before it could do more harm.

Volpina immediately slumped in Adrien’s arms, the image of Chat Noir disappearing under a bubbling, roiling miasma of dark magic. It dissipated as quickly as it formed, leaving only Lila behind.

Ladybug choked on a sigh, the throbbing pain of her earlobe demanding her attention again. She joined her classmates, trembling hands brushing away Lila’s long hair to grasp her Miraculous. Gently, Ladybug removed the earring and attempted to slip it back on.

It didn’t work. When Volpina ripped off her Miraculous, she’d torn through Ladybug’s piercing, leaving behind tattered flesh and a steady trickle of blood.

Looking grimly at her blood-slick fingers, Ladybug knew what she had to do. But she needed dry hands—

“M-My shirt.”

Ladybug glanced up at Adrien’s voice. Paler than she’d ever seen him, he took off his overshirt as swiftly as he could without dropping Lila. He offered it to her, glancing at her ear before keeping his gaze firmly on her face.

With a hard swallow, he said, “Use it. To stop the blood.”

That…would work.

“Thanks,” she said hoarsely.

Sharp relief, exhaustion, gratitude so intense it bordered on painful—this mixture of feelings flooded through her as she took the shirt, smearing the white fabric with red. She wiped her hands and her Miraculous before tossing the shirt over her right shoulder, catching the bottom hem between her teeth.

“What are you—?!” Adrien began, alarmed, but Ladybug moved before he could finish.

Positioning her Miraculous above her ruined piercing, Ladybug forced the pointed end of the post through her earlobe, grunting into her makeshift gag.

“Ladybug!”

Blinking away her tears, Ladybug shakily slid on the clutch, wincing as it jostled the new piercing. The scorching heat building in her left earring slowly cooled. Pulling out the gag, Ladybug let out a shuddering breath, shoulders slumping.

“Ladybug, are you okay?!” Adrien asked. Ladybug met his concerned gaze with a wry smile.

He’d been kidnapped, he fought an akuma with his hands chained, and he was holding up Lila by himself. Still, he was more worried about others (about _her_ ) than himself.

“I will be,” she said, pushing the ache to the back of her mind to ignore. Helping him support Lila, Ladybug gestured to her right ear with her free hand. “How does it look?”

“Bad,” he told her. “It looks _really bad_ , you need to go to a hospital!” His brows furrowed, mouth tilting into an uncertain slant. “Or—or at least have someone look at it,” he finished quietly.

“It’s nothing I can’t fix.” She hoped, anyway. “I meant, how many spots are left?”

Adrien sighed through his nose and leaned in, squinting at her ears.

“Five on each,” he declared.

Ladybug let her smile grow wider, her relief making her almost giddy. _They did it!_ “Good, we can—”

A groan interrupted her. Lila stirred and rubbed a hand across her face, leaning against Ladybug as she tried to stand.

“Wh-what…,” Lila mumbled. Her bleary eyes fell first on Adrien, and then…

Ladybug knew Lila finally registered who was helping her when she tensed and shoved _hard_. She stumbled away, miraculously staying on her feet and glaring as she scooped up the pieces of her necklace from the floor.

“ _Don’t touch me_ ,” Lila spat as she slipped the chain on, putting the broken half of the pendant in her purse. Pulling out her phone, she worked it one-handed while she adjusted her clothes and smoothed her hair.

Adrien and Ladybug shared a baffled look. Lila continued ignoring them, putting her phone away and grabbing a compact from her handbag to check her reflection.

Irritated by Lila’s attitude and the constant thrum of pain, Ladybug huffed and crossed her arms. “A _thank you_ would be nice.”

Lila paused in the middle of touching up her make-up. Then, she scoffed and finished applying concealer over the dark circles under her eyes. Only when she looked as polished as usual did she snap her compact shut, deigning to pay attention to them.

“I don’t thank people for their incompetence,” she said, tucking the compact away. She checked her phone again. “Augh, come _on_ already.”

Ladybug didn’t realize she stepped forward until Adrien put a hand on her uncovered shoulder, holding her back. Silently, he shook his head. Ladybug grit her teeth, fists clenched as she tried to keep a leash on her anger.

“Lila, what’s wrong?” asked Adrien. “This isn’t like you.”

“Oh, you’re suddenly an expert on what I’m like?” Lila snapped back. She pointed to his chains, then Ladybug’s torn ear with a grimace. “Why don’t you worry about you and your girlfriend first before you start poking your nose in my business, Agreste.”

Ladybug had had _enough_. “You can’t talk to him like—”

“ _SHUT. UP_ ,” Lila shouted, suddenly furious. “This is all _your_ fault!”

“ _My_ fault?!” Ladybug repeated, incredulous at Lila’s nerve.

“ _Yes_ , your fault! Acting like you’re the best thing that’s ever happened to this horrible place, but you can’t even do your job right!” Lila sneered, her eyes burning. “Eight, _eight_ times I’ve been turned into…into _that_ , and you keep letting Hawk Moth do it! You’re playing right into his hands, and it’s _pathetic!_ ”

As Lila screamed at her, Ladybug grew cold, goosebumps forming under her armour.

Adrien was right. Something was very, very wrong, and Lila…Lila was right in the middle of it.

“What are you talking about?” Ladybug asked.

Lila laughed at the question. The sound was short and hoarse, more like a sob than anything else.

“You don’t even _see_ what he’s planning, do you?” said Lila. “God, if I told you, you wouldn’t believe me either, huh?” She shook with the force of her anger, looking like she wanted to tear into something, _anything_. “I’m _stuck_ here with someone as useless and stupid as you, and I _hate_ it! I _hate_ this city! And you, Ladybug, _I hate you the most!_ I’d be a better superhero than you’d _ever_ be! Maybe then, people would actually be…saved…”

Lila trailed off, turning white as a funeral shroud as her eyes tracked something behind ladybug. She took one step back, then another, then tripped backwards into the broken column, her legs as shaky as her breath.

“Oh no,” Adrien breathed. Lila moaned as an akuma flitted past, making a beeline for her fox necklace. “Ladybug!”

“On…on it!” said Ladybug, fumbling for her yoyo. She flung it forward, trapping the akuma inside the compact.

There wasn’t any satisfaction this time in watching the purified akuma flutter off. Ladybug was too busy feeling sick as Lila pulled herself up, still shivering and pale.

A beep from a phone rang out. Lila checked hers, then wiped away any trace of wetness in her eyes and fixed her clothes, her face settling once again into cool indifference.

“My ride’s almost here,” she said shortly, the crack in her voice the only evidence that she’d been upset. Lila cleared her throat, and then tucked away her phone, striding forward.

As she brushed past them, Adrien turned towards her. “Lila—!”

“I’m tired, Agreste,” said Lila, interrupting him. She kept walking towards the exit, not even bothering to turn back or slow down as she spoke. “No one, not you or your _precious Ladybug_ can help me, so just…go away.”

She left, not even bothering to close the doors behind her.

Ladybug stared at where Lila had disappeared into the dark hallway, feeling like she’d failed. There really _wasn’t_ anything she could do for Lila, not as long as Hawk Moth kept targeting her while they couldn’t find him.

A chill swept through Ladybug. Hawk Moth…would never have gone after Lila in the first place if Ladybug hadn’t lost her temper.

“Hey.” Adrien’s voice cut cleanly through her darkening thoughts, his hand squeezing her shoulder like a warm anchor to the present. “It’s not your fault.”

Ladybug didn’t answer. Instead, she stared at him, then glanced down at the manacles still wrapped around his wrists.

Adrien was too nice for his own good, and Hawk Moth was _her_ responsibility ( _and Chat’s, she needed to find him, needed him to be safe_ ), and…and none of this was helping.

Her yoyo was in her hand, still there after catching the second akuma. Ladybug threw it up in the air for a Lucky Charm, wishing for something to free Adrien.

Expecting a key, Ladybug blinked when a small, thin, polka-dotted case fell into her hands instead. She opened the flap to find—

“ _Lockpicks?_ Really?” She sighed loudly, blowing up her own bangs in irritation as her ear throbbed. “I don’t even know how to _use_ these!”

“Um…” Adrien smiled sheepishly and reached for the case, pulling out one of the metal picks with an L-shaped head. “I do.”

Ladybug’s earrings let out its first warning beep. “Oh.”

She watched Adrien lift his wrist and insert the pick into the keyhole of his manacle. His eyebrows furrowed as he fiddled with the lock, so focused that he didn’t notice that his tongue was sticking out of the corner of his mouth.

Ladybug gulped as despair welled in her. Even injured, she couldn’t deny that Adrien was really, _really_ cute.

“Can you hold this in place?” asked Adrien, lifting up three of his fingers to reveal the handle of the pick. “It’s hard to do it one-handed.”

“O-of course,” she said. Ladybug felt clumsy as she grabbed the handle and tried to keep as still as possible.

Adrien took another pick from the case she was still holding, one with a thin hook on top. Then he paused, catching her eye. He held her gaze long enough for her to want to squirm, uncomfortably aware of how close they had to stand in order for her to help Adrien with the lock.

“…You’re still bleeding,” he finally said.

Ladybug glanced at her right shoulder where Adrien’s shirt was catching the blood dripping from her ear.

“I’m fine,” she said, embarrassed at her state. “I’ll fix it up as soon as you’re free! Uh. Sorry about your shirt.”

Adrien frowned. “The shirt is not what I’m worried about.”

“O-oh, um…”

Was it weird to be a little happy about that?

“How…,” Ladybug started to say, trying to distract them both. But then a lock of frazzled hair fell in Adrien’s face, and she had to resist the urge to push it back, watching instead as he swept it aside. She cleared her throat and concentrated on keeping herself _still_. “How did you learn to do this?”

Adrien jolted. He raised his hand, possibly to rub his neck. Instead, he ended up almost poking himself in the eye with a lockpick.

A snort burst out of Ladybug, leaving her mortified enough to slap a hand over her mouth. But she forgot she was still holding the lockpick case and smacked herself in the face with it. The rest of the lockpicks fell out of the open flap, scattering around their feet. The second beep of her Miraculous punctuated her humiliation.

Adrien’s snickers-turned-guffaws should have made the situation worse. Instead, seeing his face brighten after everything he’d been through today made it worth it.

“I’m sorry for laughing,” he said, still grinning. “I really needed that.”

“I-I don’t mind,” she replied.

If Ladybug was braver, she could say that the world could stand to have more of his laughter in it.

Smiling, Adrien hunched back over his manacle and picked it loose. He switched lockpicks with her, their fingers brushing together, and Ladybug felt Adrien’s twitch before they retreated.

“When my mom went…when she went missing, Father didn’t want me to go outside without supervision,” he began, starting his work on the second lock. “For a while, I was okay with that. And then I…wasn’t. But Father wouldn’t change his mind, no matter what I said. So, I got…angry, I guess. Can you—?”

Ladybug moved to hold the L-shaped lockpick steady again, silently handing Adrien the other one. His lips quirked higher, and she dug her fingers into the lockpick case, trying to calm her speeding pulse.

“Anyway,” he continued, slowly twisting the pick inside the lock. “I had to think of ways to sneak out, and this was one of them. Not that I’ve had much use for it after I started school.”

A click sent the second shackle falling with a clatter. Adrien rubbed his reddened wrists, grinning with triumph even as he winced.

 _You’re incredible_ , Ladybug thought, caught up in the bright gleam of satisfaction in his eyes. She didn’t notice she’d said it out loud until he froze, cheeks turning a fascinating pink.

“Ah?” was his response.

“I-I MEAN.” Ladybug twisted the case in her hands, trying to think of something to say that didn’t give away how much she adored Adrien. “YOU HELPED—w-with Volpina, and you know all kinds of stuff, and you care about people an_mmph_.”

Pressing the lockpick kit against her mouth, Ladybug found that it was a very effective way to shut herself up.

“O-oh,” said Adrien. The shade of his face almost matched the reddened marks on his wrist. “Um, well, I-I wouldn’t have been able to help at all if you hadn’t broken the column in the first place.”

Ladybug blinked, then glanced at the mangled column. She remembered it breaking in two during the fight—Adrien must have slipped the loop of his chain through the splintered gap to escape.

“So, really, it was thanks you,” Adrien continued, flashing her a helpless smile. “I’m just…me. _You’re_ the one who’s incredible.”

As much as Adrien’s words had Ladybug _floating_ , they reminded her of something that kept her firmly grounded.

The memory of Adrien leaning back in her computer chair, that same smile slowly falling off his face.

‘ _I’m not worth anything compared to you’_ , he’d said.

Ladybug didn’t have a lucky charm she could give Adrien this time. So, she used hers instead, throwing it in the air to cast a Miraculous Cure. As Tikki’s swarm of magic ladybugs swept over them, taking away her pain and restoring everything they touched, Ladybug stepped forward to pull Adrien into a hug.

He was warm and solid in her arms. Holding him tightly, she buried her face in his shoulder, unable to stop herself from sinking into his scent.

( _it was the scent of sweat and fresh laundry and the one person that she wanted to make happy more than anyone else_ )

A third beep rang out from her Miraculous. Her worry for Chat tugged at her mind, but she let herself relish in this moment with her beloved Adrien, hoping this would help him even a little.

Volpina was right about her weaknesses, but she wouldn’t trade them for anything.

“You saved me, Adrien,” said Ladybug, trying to find the words she couldn’t before. “That was an amazing and _ridiculously_ brave thing to do. That’s what you are too. So…thank you.”

She felt Adrien hesitate, hands brushing her biceps before he wrapped his arms around them, squeezing her with a trembling grip.

“You saved me too,” said Adrien. His voice sounded thick and hoarse.

“That’s my job,” she replied. “You didn’t _have_ to.”

“I did. I _wanted_ to.”

Ladybug opened her eyes, not realizing she’d closed them until then. When she pulled her head back to look at Adrien, he greeted her with the soft smile that first stole her heart and left her breathless.

Her fingers slowly gripped his shirt, a dopey, relieved grin tugging at her lips.

“I’m glad you’re okay,” they said together.

Ladybug and Adrien blinked. And then, in unison, they burst into laughter.

Her Miraculous beeping again wasn’t quite a cold bucket of water on her joy. But it did remind her of Chat Noir and of her responsibilities. No matter how good Adrien made her feel, she needed to make sure Chat was okay too and that Tikki was fed properly.

“Are you alright with me leaving you here for a few minutes?” Ladybug asked quickly. “I need to check on—things. But I can take you home when I get back.”

“Of course, thank you,” he answered, nodding. His hand lifted up, hovering close to her right ear before dropping to his side. He pulled away from their hug, his smile turning awkward. “Uh, it looks like your ear is fixed too.”

“That’s great,” she said, tossing him his now clean overshirt and turning to the doors. She needed to find a safe place to detransform _fast_. “See you soon!”

  


* * *

  


After hiding in what was once the mansion’s kitchen, the hushed conversation Marinette had with Tikki was as enlightening as it was disturbing.

The reason she didn’t immediately detransform when Volpina stole her earring was because Tikki had shifted all her power into the other earring, keeping the transformation going. But because the Ladybug Miraculous was split, one earring wasn’t designed to hold that much power at once.

“If I didn’t release my magic after five minutes, the earring would explode,” Tikki told her after gulping down Marinette’s smuggled cookies.

“Explode?!” Marinette yelled, grabbing at her hair.

“Don’t worry, I’d drop the transformation before that happened,” said Tikki. It was not as reassuring as her kwami might have thought. Neither was the solemn look Tikki wore. “You need to be more careful in the future, Marinette.”

“I will, Tikki,” promised Marinette.

Another transformation later, Ladybug was calling Chat Noir even as she picked her way over the broken hallway floors back to where Adrien was.

“Come _on_ ,” she muttered, then sighed as she got his voicemail again.

Since she’d already left messages with her last three calls, she hung up and shot Adrien a distracted smile. Not even the warm glow of Adrien’s answering smile could quell the growing unease inside her.

( _was her partner safe?_ )

“Ready to go?” she asked instead.

“ _More_ than ready,” he said, stepping closer. “I always wanted to see the Rothschild Mansion, but this wasn’t exactly what I had in mind.”

“Then let’s get you out of here.”

Ladybug took his hand, leading Adrien out of the rotting mansion.

Time passed quickly as Ladybug safely escorted Adrien back home. She’d almost be proud of marginally keeping her cool while swinging him across the city, but she knew it was due to the sense of disquiet gnawing at her.

After a quick goodbye, she was flying again, aiming for the Notre-Dame Cathedral. Her landing on a tower balcony was silent, and Ladybug reeled her yoyo in, sliding its case open to call.

“It’s me again,” she said to Chat’s voicemail. “I need you to meet me as soon as you can. I’ll be at the Notre-Dame until sunset.”

Ladybug paused, wondering if she should mention the anxiety burrowing into her, ripping up the professional calm she tried to instill in herself.

“Just…call me,” she finished quietly. Closing her yoyo, Ladybug leant against the weathered stone bricks and tried not to obsess over every mistake she had made.

She didn’t have to wait long.

Chat Noir ran to her like a streak of black lightning, vaulting over the railing into a smooth bow.

“Sorry I’m late, my lady,” he said as he stood up. “I meant to help you find the Agreste kid, but I got a bit tied up.”

Chat didn’t look hurt or injured, just tired. He was smiling. He was _fine_.

Something eased in Ladybug before growing rigid again. Just because Chat looked like he always did, it didn’t mean he was safe.

“How did we first meet?” she asked, keeping her distance.

Chat tilted his head, nose scrunching in confusion. “What?”

“Volpina kidnapped Adrien. Again,” she said, the words tasting like ash. Like failure. “She used a new ability to trick me into thinking she was you. It even hacked into our communication line.” Ladybug lifted a hand to her right ear before dropping it and squeezing it into a fist. “She stole one of my earrings. I had to fight to get it back. And Hawk Moth has no qualms about akumatizing her as many times as he needs to for his plans.”

Ladybug missed that detail too. She’d barely questioned why Hawk Moth kept using the same akuma, barely questioned _Lila_ , and she couldn’t allow herself to make any more mistakes.

“I need to know you’re you,” Ladybug continued. “So tell me: how did we first meet?”

Chat looked at her like he could see past the firm clench of her jaws and the tense set of her shoulders. Then he shot her a smile, soft with exhaustion.

“You fell from the sky like an angel, right into my arms,” he said.

Ladybug rolled her eyes as she began to relax. “You’re Chat, alright.”

“You say that like it’s a bad thing,” he teased, sidling up next to her and taking her hand. He pressed a kiss to her knuckles. “And I know you must be my lady because no one else would be silly enough take the blame for Hawk Moth’s actions.”

She ripped her hand out his, suddenly angry. “I’m not blaming myself!”

“Aren’t you?” Chat asked. “I _know_ you. You’re probably angry at yourself for losing your Miraculous and for that boy getting dragged into Volpina’s games. The problem is that that’s all Hawk Moth’s doing.”

“But I didn’t—!” Ladybug turned away, hugging herself. “I didn’t realize Volpina wasn’t you. I didn’t investigate why she keeps appearing. Lila says Hawk Moth is using her for some plan of his, and she doesn’t trust me enough to tell us what she knows. That’s on me.”

“That’s on _us_ ,” said Chat, placing his hands on her shoulders. “Investigating Volpina, I mean. I should have noticed too. We both screwed up, I’ll admit.” He twisted her gently so that she faced him. “We’re a team, Ladybug. Win or lose, we do it together.”

There was nothing but honesty in Chat’s eyes, nothing but kindness in his smile. Ladybug found herself smiling back, affection radiating through her words.

“Thanks, kitty,” she said. “You’re right, we’ll do better in the future. Together.”

“But of course,” he replied, winking.

Then his smile faded into concern. He reached up to trace the shell of her right ear, and Ladybug shivered. Chat frowned as he asked, “Are you sure you’re okay? It must have been tough fighting Volpina on your own.”

“I-I’m fine!” Ladybug insisted, breaking away with too-hot cheeks. “Adrien helped. And Miraculous Cure fixed everything.”

Ladybug remembered Lila screaming hate at her and winced. Well, almost everything.

“What about you? Are _you_ okay?” she asked him.

“Um. Physically, yes,” said Chat. “That’s…actually kind of what I want to talk to you about. There's a thing that's been bothering me.”

Dread started to pool in Ladybug’s stomach. “What is it?”

“It would have been really easy to mess up Volpina’s plans today,” he began. “All it would take is me showing up. But I didn’t because something happened in my civilian life. Something that kept me busy until now. And that’s awfully convenient timing, don’t you think?”

“What are you saying, Chat?” Ladybug asked, voice shaking.

( _she could guess, oh god could she guess_ )

“I think that something was arranged by Volpina,” he said, crossing his arms as his ears drooped. “There’s other things I’ve noticed. Clues. Stuff that doesn’t _fit_.”

The dread turned into solid stone. It clogged Ladybug’s insides while Chat looked at her with badly hidden fear.

“Ladybug, I think…I think Hawk Moth knows who I am.”

Terror crushed the dread, pulverizing it in the wake of Chat’s revelation as her mind raced for answers.

“If he knows, Chat…” She closed her eyes and breathed out slowly. “You’re in danger. Everyone around you is in danger.”

“I know. I _know_. I just—don’t understand why he keeps making these complicated plans when he could corner me and take my ring!” he said, frustrated.

“We don’t know who Hawk Moth is,” said Ladybug, slowly putting the pieces together. “We barely know what he looks like. As much as he wants our Miraculous, he’s been very careful to keep his secrets.”

She opened her eyes and caught Chat by his forearm, rubbing soothing circles with her thumb. “If he’s not targeting you directly, that means doing so might expose him somehow.”

“Or he wants to get yours first,” Chat muttered darkly. “If he knows who I am, he can get my Miraculous at any time. But if he doesn’t know who you are, the only way he can get your Miraculous is through his akuma.”

That…was worryingly plausible. Volpina’s plan hinged entirely on getting Ladybug’s Miraculous, not bothering with Chat’s at all.

“I hope not,” she finally said. “I hope this really is a coincidence.”

“But you don’t think so,” Chat replied.

Ladybug bit her lip and shook her head.

“Okay,” he said, voice cracking. “Okay.”

She could feel him trembling. Ladybug reached up and cupped his face with both hands, forcing him to look at her.

“Chat Noir, you _just_ said that we’re a team, that’s we’re going win or lose this together. Is that right?” she asked.

“Yeah,” he said, holding on to her wrists. “But—”

“No ‘but’s. Hawk Moth is going to have to get through me to get to you, and that’s never going to happen. We’ll think of a plan and watch each other’s backs. We’re going to beat him and stop him from hurting anyone else. Right?”

Chat stayed silent.

She pressed her hands together, squeezing his cheeks between them. “ _Right?_ ”

He let out a startled laugh as he pushed her hands away. “Alright! Okay, you win.”

“ _We_ win,” said Ladybug, and she was rewarded with Chat’s brilliant smile in return.

**Author's Note:**

> I thought y'all might want to see some of the research material Mirth kindly provided regarding the Rothschild Mansion, which I immediately changed the setting to instead of the warehouse from the original drabble. That's because this place is awesomely messed up, and I regret not knowing about sooner:
> 
> • [Detailed pages of photos and info](http://derelicta.pagesperso-orange.fr/rothschild.htm) (French)  
> • [Article including history and more photos](http://www.messynessychic.com/2013/02/28/the-rotting-rothschild-mansion-in-paris/) (English)  
> • [Reference for my imagined version of the library](http://www.sppef.fr/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/sppef_9250608530_c4af32849d_o.jpg) (Photo and also my new laptop background)  
> • [Article including history, maps, and photos](http://immobilier.lefigaro.fr/article/le-chateau-rothschild-attend-sa-nouvelle-vie_92b2b2ce-07c2-11e6-b343-ee4e2863feef/) (French)  
> • [French Wiki Article](https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ch%C3%A2teau_Rothschild_\(Boulogne-Billancourt\)) (...French)


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